First visit: May 1989 (Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
HQ: Cheyenne, WY (Founded: 1969)
Locations: In 23 states (up one from last year). 15 in Colorado, though none near us. There are none in Texas. It's tough to know how many total as they only show the city, which would require a further deep dive that takes too much time. Their website says "nearly 400 locations". This data is from 2023. Their website has only gotten worse and allows you only to see what they have within a certain mile radius. Why do they do that?
Mrs. RJG and I were back on the road for our first trip of 2024! That Phantom Canyon visit in July was the last time either of us stepped foot into a restaurant before this trip. We've pretty much stopped going out. It's just not worth the cost anymore unfortunately. But since we're traveling we have no choice, so let's see how it goes. We're on our way to Montana, and why not stop at one of our favorite taco shops on the way. I always like to visit Taco John's in their home city if I can. We've been to this location at least twice before. The changes on this visit included a new touch screen "self service" ordering system. I don't mind, but Mrs. RJG says those are intimidating to her. And the better news is this location had the green sauce in plastic containers. Yaay! Though I must say it wasn't as spicy as before. I'm guessing they're made at each location - or at least centrally to an area - so that could change with each visit. Otherwise our visit was similar to the below. A good light lunch to start the trip...
---10/7/23 update (Colby, Kansas)
After 9/11 hit, like many Americans, we weren't anxious to hop on an airplane. And fortunately my job didn't need me to at that time, though I was on planes far more for work back then. In November, we decided to visit Mr. RJG's Official parents in Dallas. It was to become known later by Mrs. RJG and I as "the taco trip" as I plotted many tacos spots along the way. Again, these are not authentic Mexican tacos, but rather the fast food variety that proliferated throughout the Midwest from the 60s through the 80s. We'll talk more about this as we go. They make perfect short snacks though, and oftentimes we'll just get two tacos each - maybe three.
And that's what we did here, as our time was already shrinking since we hit the Central time zone. Prior we went to Burlington where the thrift shop was closed ("only open on the 3rd Saturday of the month" - what?). And our stop in Goodland was fruitless, though there was a fun car festival we briefly checked out.
The tacos here were excellent as usual, though it appears they have removed the hot green sauce, which is a complete sin. It was one of the primary drivers for going here! So boo-hiss. Why do they always remove the menu or condiment items that are great? Oh well... I'm sure we'll be back at a Taco John's if we're near one. We've been to this Colby location a few times since it was part of our "Denver townhome" route from 2009 to 2012. See more info below.
---9/25/22 update (Cheyenne - State 219)
Well you had to see this coming. Sure - on the same day we had breakfast at Taco Time, we decided to have lunch at one of the Taco John's in Cheyenne. This is their headquarters and it just seems like a natural thing to do. And they're definitely better than Taco Time. The meat has more flavor and their salsa's are much better - especially their spicy green. Always worth at least one stop per road trip if you can find them.
---original 9/27/20 review (Scottsbluff, Nebraska) Anyone who has followed this blog from its inception will know the RJG loves old school American styled crunchy tacos. It was one of the impetuses to start this blog in the first place. Most of what I have to say about the topic can be found on the Taco Casa (Texas) posting.
Taco John's was like one of the many taco joints I first discovered while traveling around with my Old Man in my teens. This particular trip would be the last we did together. By 1989, I was already established in the workforce (I was 24 then), and was saving vacation for my first European month long backpack adventure, scheduled for the following year. But I had to use one week - you know, the use it or lose it policy. You could only accrue so much. As I was pondering that decision, Dad stated he had a two day convention in Chicago that he needed to attend, and wanted to drive it (from Dallas where we both lived at the time). I had never been to most of the Midwest at that point, so I took him up on his offer, and we made a full week of it. It was a fantastic trip and a great way for us to close that chapter of our lives.
On the way back from Chicago, we took a circuitous route up to Milwaukee and had a very nice German lunch. We then ventured across the southern part of Wisconsin, and stopped to buy cheese in Belmont. Eventually we found our way to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Dad wanted nothing more than a small portion of fried chicken, which he got (don't remember where). And right next to our motel was a Taco John's. New chain to me!
Like all quality fast food taco chains, the mush meat is the secret. And in Taco John's case, it's not even greasy, something which probably has lead to their great success. And it's very flavorful. And you can get said meat in burritos and nachos as well. And they've kept up with the times and also offer grilled chicken and steak. And their "fries" are of the Idaho styled tater tots, a popular tradition in Big Sky country. The other great aspect of Taco John's is their hot green sauce. It pulls no punches and is clearly made from hot chiles. They have a mild red too, which is decent but lacks the flavor a mild needs to be effective.
Taco John's has enjoyed immense regional success. Though based in Wyoming, their core base is in the upper Midwest states like Minnesota, Iowa, and the Dakotas. They are in Colorado too, focusing primarily on the northern I-25 corridor, starting in north Denver. When the RJG lived in Colorado Springs from 1993 to 1995, we had three locations here (that I enjoyed), but they are long gone. No word if they will ever dip back down to the Denver Tech Center, Castle Rock, and eventually to us. No need really - gives us an excuse to stop while on the road!
On this particular visit, Mrs. RJG and I were heading back home from Rapid City, South Dakota, and Scottsbluff was the perfect lunch destination (we also loaded up on local Nebraska beers and hit a thrift shop or three). And unlike the Taco John's in Wyoming and South Dakota, this location was open for dine-in, which was nice. Everything tasted just as we remembered it. And Taco John's should also be commended for their usually clean restaurants.
5/27/89; 1/15/94; 2/5/95; 3/25/97; 8/22/00; 11/17/01; 2/10/02; 1/11/03; 9/18/09; 5/2/10; 1/15/11; 4/17/12; 5/11/14; 7/6/19; 9/27/20 (new entry); 9/25/22; 9/30/23; 8/23/24
Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Colorado Springs; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Colby, Kansas; Rapid City, South Dakota; Scottsbluff, Nebraska
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